"Trying to appear cool" lol.

That's what's missing today....

1976-77

This is a fairly accurate representation of what pinball was like in the late 70s when I was a teenager.

Almost as real as that arcade scene from the movie Dazed and Confused.

Exactly! That may be what LA was like, but here in the suburbs Dazed and Confused was spot on! From the high school parking lot looking like a car show, to open fields where we would all gather till the wee hours of the morning.

And that pool hall with all the pinball machines and kids getting stoned brings back memories for sure. Don't remember too many adults being around except like that McConaughey character as there were always a couple of those.

Ha! We played not only because it was fun and cheap, but also because it was where the other cool kids gathered including plenty from the opposite sex.

If there was one defining moment that put an end to the 70s and it's relaxed, partying culture, I'd have to say it was this. Thus started the most uptight decade I can remember, and in some ways we are still reeling from it.

download (resized).jpg

I remember when they dropped a new Captain Fantastic at one of the local malls.

Never before had there been a game so easy to win a replay on! You want to talk about making your pocket change last...

They were new and most still in the experimental stage.

I remember when they first started popping up, and the cold reality hit that pinball as we had known it was being killed and it would never be the same again.

They felt hollow compared to what we were used to. At the time I had never seen inside them but turns out that's exactly what they were...hollow.

Ralph Bakshi not only did Fritz The Cat, but also went on to do Wizards and Lord of the Rings among others.

Whatever he said in this interview does not change my opinion of him as one of the greatest animated movie producers of our time.

220px-The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(1978) (resized).jpg

I thought it was some washed up old actor that was sandwiched in between them. He could hardly remember his lines and keep a straight face at the same time

True. But Hoby Brenner put me in a trash can once when I was a freshman. He was a football player. A real big guy. You might have heard of him. That's what I get for having an older brother with friends.

We had Keith Van Horne of 80s Bears fame on that high school football team along with state wrestling champ Matt Clark and some others. The Indians were a real powerhouse back then but never won it all. Got really close though.

Interesting as this video was done in a city that until recently didn't have any pinball. And not for many years. Where 30 miles away, we had them since I could walk. So we were kind of oblivious to their situation.

I must have watched this one 20 times already. Many times in the theater back in the day. Took several viewings just to remember what it was about.

download (resized).jpg

download (1) (resized).jpg

Indeed.

wizards fairy fight.gif
CMaMWbP.gif

tumblr_m5kw3dmTfO1qf9djko1_400.gif

Beside the far out Bakshi movies, this video does give a good representation of the games that were shipped to our area in the 70s. Lots of four players and mostly Ballys and Williams.

After the big success of Fireball in the early 70s, Bally was pretty much the king around here with it's modern look and forward thinking gameplay. Each new one always drew a crowd. And that went on well into the 80s.